Daizenshuu 4: World Guide

Shenlong Times — 4th Issue

Dragon Ball Fans Roundtable

Emi Tōnosu (Third Place in the Tenka’ichi Test) — Tōnosu’s favorite character is the Trunks who came from future.

Hokoto Masumoto (Second Place in the Tenka’ichi Test) — Masumoto’s favorite character for the first half of the story is Tao Pai-pai, and for the second half Vegeta.

Three representatives of the fans who love Dragon Ball more than anything talk with one another.
For this time’s round table, we’ve assembled three people who could be called fans among fans. Because they’re fellow fanatics, an extremely deep conversation will unfold!

This time, we’ve gathered those who got the top results in the “Tenka’ichi Test”, a Dragon Ball knowledge competition. The 1st place winner, Yumika Ōya-san, couldn’t be here, so she left us her comments. In her place, the passionate Dragon Ball fan “Dragon Suzuki”, Suzuki-san of Bandai, is participating. So then, introduce yourselves, and tell us a scene from the 10 years of Dragon Ball that has stayed in your heart.

Suzuki: I’m Suzuki, and I make Dragon Ball-related video games at Bandai. A scene I intensely remember is during the battle with Ma Junior, when you think Goku has won, and then with a “ZUGYUUH” a beam pierces through his chest. At the time, I was in my second or third year in university, and I bought Jump because I would always read Dragon Ball while standing in the store. With that chapter only, when I read it I felt sick, and threw up in the supermarket’s toilet. That was the first time a manga made me feel that way.

Tōnosu: I’m Tōnosu, and I came in 3rd place in the Tenka’ichi Test. An enduring image for me is when Kuririn smashed No. 18’s shutdown controller. After that, I guess it’d be when Trunks was killed, and Vegeta went after Cell in a frenzy. Seeing those scenes, I thought that Dragon Ball was somehow extremely human, and I came to like it even more.

Masumoto: I’m Masumoto, who came in third place in the Tenka’ichi Test. What I like is the period when they’re being trained by Kame-sen’nin. While they’re training by swimming 10 laps across a lake, Kame-sen’nin says, “For some reason there are sharks in this lake. Watch out!” That’s a very Toriyama touch.

Suzuki: Yeah, somehow it really seems like him.

Masumoto: The Dragon Ball characters are fairy tale-like at first, but they rapidly become realistic. The easiest thing to see this in is the way their muscles are drawn. From the time Freeza first appeared, the muscles began to be drawn accurately. Around when Goku and Freeza had their showdown, the way the biceps and deltoids were connected became faithful to the real thing.

Suzuki: Yeah, the anatomy up until then is amazing. However, the drawing style really did change.

Tōnosu: I read it simply because it was funny and didn’t think about difficult things like that, but I cried when the characters died…

Suzuki:Dragon Ball made me cry lots of times as well, even though I was a college student or a company man. Let’s see, how many times did I cry…? Counting, I guess it’d be 5 or 6 times.

So then, let me ask you about when Dragon Ball was heading into its final chapter.

Suzuki: Because of my job, I found out a little early that it was ending. But the final chapter was good. The title page has the same composition as the cover to the first tankōbon. The sepia-toned scene of Bulma and Goku meeting for the first time was also deeply moving. I bought around 8 copies of Jump from when the last chapter came out, and stored them in my house.

Masumoto: A few chapters before the final chapter, there was a part where Upa appeared, and I thought “Is it already over?” But from the start of the Boo arc, I thought “surely it will end with this”. I want Toriyama-sensei to take a restful vacation, play with his children, and then begin a new serialization when he feels like it.

Tōnosu: I feel that Toriyama-sensei must really be tired after 10 years. Right now, my meager hope is that he will draw another manga with fantastic characters.

Robo-Toriyama:
Like I said last time, I’ve decided to pass on “Me These Days”. I mean, come on, I don’t have anything special to write about!
With that in mind, this time, I’ll seriously introduce the main tools I use when drawing Dragon Ball!
Try using it as a reference and drawing your own!

Manuscript Paper
In my case, I got lots of them for free from a paper seller that does business with Shueisha, which I’m grateful for.
In your case, it seems that art supply stores have recently started selling paper for manga, and I think that’d be OK.

Pen and Penholder
I use a G-Pen from Zebra. Different people have different preferred pen nibs. I don’t put much force on it when I draw, so I’ll generally use a single nib for about three chapters.

[The nib] is made so that it can be dipped deeply [into the ink].

[The penholder] is made of wood, so I can cut it very short.

I’ve used my penholder for 15 years now. It’s extremely dirty, and I’ve tried buying new ones, but somehow I don’t feel comfortable with them, and end up returning to this one.

If I lose this penholder or my drawing brush, I’ll be in deep trouble.

Ink
I use Pilot’s document ink, but their drawing ink is OK, too. It’s just that I don’t like the impression that clings to the pen tip.

Color Ink
I’ve always used the ones from a manufacturer called Luma, but the coloring supplies are really up to each person’s tastes, so it’s best to experiment with lots of different things.

Ruler
I’m not particularly picky about this one. As long as it’s about 30 centimeters or so, and a little wide, then anything’s good.

Drawing Brush
It’s a fine-point drawing brush made by Tenshōdō that I bought from an art supply store in Tokyo. I’ve used this since ten-odd years back, as well, but I’m fond of it since its tip hasn’t gotten bad at all. I’ve bought various brushes from the same maker, but in the end, I always settle on this one. I guess it’s just that compatible with me. Believe it or not, I colored all of Dragon Ball’s color illustrations with this single brush.

Mechanical Pencil
I used to have one that was only about 100 yen, but I really liked. Unfortunately, I lost it, and they don’t sell that model any more. I’ve used various ones since then, but I haven’t found any like it. (It took 0.5mm 2B lead.)

Whiteout for Corrections
This whiteout is also from the manufacturer Luma. It’s able to correct parts I’ve drawn with a signature pen or the like without any blotting.

Television
My way of working has ended up being while sitting at a low table watching TV.

Earpick
This is just because I have a peculiarity where I can’t quite relax if I don’t periodically clean my ears.

Glasses
Being nearsighted, I naturally have these, but for my job I use weak ones, about 0.7. It’s hard to draw if I can see too much.

Cigarettes
I know that it’s best to quit, but without them I can’t relax. Before a deadline, I’ll smoke about 100 in a day.

I Love Dragon Ball #4: Momoko Sakura (Manga-ka)

It’s “I Love Dragon Ball”, where very well-known people explain their love of Dragon Ball. For the fourth one, it’s Momoko Sakura-sensei, creator of the extremely popular manga Chibi Maruko-chan.

I anticipate my beloved Toriyama-sensei more and more!

I certainly can’t express Toriyama-sensei‘s greatness with my clumsy sentences, but if I were to try, I think it’s in his humor that overflows with drawing ability, and his innocent characters without any wickedness. I think everyone is very familiar with those characters’ charm, but starting with Arale-chan and onto Goku, Gohan, Goten, and their supporting characters, their pureness is connected to their energetic driving force. I have been moved to tears countless times by the extreme pureness of Toriyama-sensei‘s characters. I think it reveals Toriyama-sensei‘s personality. It’s a happy thing that Toriyama-sensei‘s pure energy gets put into a magnificent work like this and passed on to many people. I’ll send my ever increasing anticipation and support to my beloved Toriyama-sensei‘s works. Toriyama-sensei, take care of yourself, and do your job with vigor.